Abundance, Biomass, and Species Composition of Benthic Macroninvertebrate Populations In Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 1987-96

摘要

This technical report gives the basic results of benthic macroinvertebrate surveys conducted over this time period to assess trends in macroinvertebrate density, biomass, and species composition. When the surveys were initiated in 1987-88, the main objective was to assess the response of the benthic community to phosphorus abatement programs that were implemented in the mid-1970s. Improvements in water quality were reported after these program (Bierman et al. 1984), and a two-year sampling program in 1987-88 was designed to determine if similar improvements were evident in the macroinvertebrate community. When the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) became established in the Great Lakes in 1988 (Hebert et al. 1989), sampling was resumed in 1990 and continued through 1996 with the objective of assessing impacts of Dreissena. Driessena colonized the bay in 1991 (Nalepa et al. 1995). Thus, the data collected during the time of this study can be divided into two distinct periods: post-phosphorous abatement/pre-Driessena (1987-90) and post-Driessena (1991-96).